In this paper there are three questions that I will be answering; those questions are: 1. What do people misunderstand about the differences and similarities between a psychopath and a sociopath? 2. Which is more dangerous and why, psychopaths or sociopaths? 3. Have any notorious murders been a psychopath or a sociopath? If so, who were they and what traits did they display?
Psychopaths hide among us, sometimes as the most successful human beings because they are cold-blooded and seemingly charismatic (Mallet, 2015). Between 0.2% and 3.3% of our world’s population are diagnosed psychopaths and 1% of our population are diagnosed sociopaths (Peterson, 2000; Mallet, 2015). Today’s society believes that psychopathic and sociopathic dispositions
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There are also some traits that can be difficult to distinguish between the two. In the past, there have been cases relating to serial killers that showed either psychopathic or sociopathic traits. HH Holmes, for instance, was a notorious psychopath who showed psychopathic traits in his crimes and behavior such as: he seemed like a regular hotel owner, acted hospitable and caring towards his customers and he was a charming man. The reality of his actions were that he acted like a nice person to get people closer to him so he could commit his crimes (Editors, 2016). Diane Downs, on the other hand, was a notorious sociopath who displayed sociopathic behaviors such as: she was socially awkward and would do anything she had to get what she wants no matter what it would cost her (Peterson, 2000).
Psychopaths
The psychopathic population have antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). ASPD is a disorder that cannot be cured, but treatment is recommended to help maintain and control their disorder (Grohol, 1995). Some or most signs of ASPD are usually seen in early childhood, however, the cannot be properly diagnosed until the late teenage or early adult years (Grohol, 1995).
( Armitage, page 7). In simpler terms, Moriwaki’s has a great lack of emotions and has been labeled a “psychopath”. A psychopath is defined as a person that suffers from a chronic medical disorder and has a violent or abnormal behavior. Psychopathic traits are often associated with criminal behavior. With this in mind, Moriwaki’s lack of emotions and psychopathic personality has lead to the murder of Kurose.
Depending on who you talk to, Adnan Syed could be referred to as a psychopath. Although Adnan wanted to share his innocence, his defender told him not to otherwise he would make matters worse for himself. During the case, Adnan’s defence attorney asked for the jury to consider it a crime of passion, rather than intent to kill. However, the judge disagreed and said that Hae’s murder was planned and that Adnan used intellect and charisma to manipulate Hae and took her to her
Statistics show that serial killers in the United States often kill for fun and financial gains. (Serial Killer) In class we have been learning about serial killers and the psychological disorders that cause them to carry out the murders they commit. Andrea Yates mental stability and religious views altered her ability of life and caused five young children to lose their lives
However, a serial killer suffering from psychopathy cannot control his or her impulses, identify with others and feel empathy, and cannot conform his or her behavior to social norms. Thus, proving he or she cannot possibly be completely competent and responsible for their actions, no matter how heinous” (Gay). However, there is a difference between someone diagnosed with psychopathy and someone with anti-social personality disorder. “Unlike serial killers with psychopathy, those with anti-social personality disorder should not be allowed to plead guilty by reason of insanity. They lack empathy but otherwise understand what they are doing.
While the definition of these antisocial disorders shares almost the exact wording, it’s almost unbelievable how different they can be from each other. Surprisingly, a psychopath doesn’t at all seem to be a psychopath. Most of them smile brightly, wear clean clothes, and are often times liked by many people in society. Most of the time, they seem to be educated and polite, and always treating others with kindness. Yet it’s all a mask, and that mask of normality is just to be accepted.
The words “psychopath” and “sociopath” are thrown around quite often and commonly confused, but please bear with me as we dive deeper into the true meaning of the words. In the early 1800s, doctors who worked with mental patients began to notice that some of their patients who appeared outwardly normal had what they termed a “moral depravity” or “moral insanity,” in that they seemed to possess no sense of ethics or of the rights of other people. The term “psychopath” was first applied to these people. The term was changed to “sociopath” in the 1930s to emphasize the damage they do to society. Modern researchers and doctors have returned to using the term “psychopath”.
Little is known about ASPD because almost no research has been conducted on people with only ASPD and not Psychopathy. This is an issues because evidence shows they are two very different disorders. The lack of info is surprising considering that most criminals in prison have this disorder. 2This essay will prove that individuals with ASPD tend to be violent, and since a great number of
Psychopath and sociopath are two terms classified as antisocial personality disorders in the world of psychology. Although many people have heard of these two terms, quite often people do not know what sets them apart from one another. A sociopath is defined as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience. The definition of psychopath is similar in being a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. By looking at the definitions, these personality disorders appear very similar; however, there are specific attributes that are more specific to one of the two.
Secondly, serial killers are simply ordinary and strive to not draw attention to themselves, most are
Richard "Iceman" Kuklinski was viewed as a normal man by society for much of his adult life. This man was far from normal. Kuklinski was a psychopath and a sociopath who was driven to kill by his troubled childhood and his lifestyle as a paid hit man. This paper will focus on the criminological theory of why Kuklinkski committed these murders. Richard Leonard Kuklinski was born in 1935 to Stanley and Anna Kuklinski ("Meet Notorious Contract Killer Richard Kuklinski").
(Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture, How Serial Killers are Born). The second part of this statement is accurate, they are really good at hiding their emotions. This allows them to appear among the population as normal. However, they are not doing this because they want to but because they have to. All they had to endure was tough so they must put up a shell or a front to keep people from seeing the harsh reality of what they have to go
Introduction I. Look around this school and think about exactly how many students are here daily. How would you feel if I told you that one out of every twenty five people are sociopaths(Pratt 2006).The fact of the matter is that not everyone who is a sociopath is a serial killer but oddly enough it has been proven that all serial killers are sociopaths. II. I have chosen serial killers that I found intriguing and that I thought not many people would know a lot about.
In order to understand why people commit crimes we must understand their feelings. Homicide is the act while psychodynamics is the mental state. The word psycho comes from psychology and the point of psychology is to understand people and their problems. In this case it is
) This means that they aren 't able to feel much empathy causing them to commit such violent crimes (Keysers, 2013). Conclusion: Review: Since we established that psychopath have certain characteristic or traits such as speech pattern, abnormal sexual behavior and lack of emotional control. You will now be able to identify a psychopath End-Statement
In many cases, mirroring the society it portrays, psychopathic behaviour is simply equated with criminal behaviour, since criminality itself is seen as the litmus test of whether someone is “demented” enough to conduct criminal activity, which some would see as totally unnatural and outside of their scope of life. Other groups, and even sub-cultures within a larger culture, might see criminal activity as “normal”, since they grow up in a neighborhood where crime is an everyday occurance, and people in their own families may be involved. So behaviour that shocks one group of people may seem normal to another